Though it may seem early in the year, July is fast approaching, and with it comes the third annual Newfoundland Gaming Expo. NGX2016 will be happening from July 22-24. This year promises to be bigger and better than ever, so in order to get you hyped up, we’ve put together some of our volunteers’ favorite memories from past NGXs. This list only scratches the surface of all the fun and excitement that happens at NGX. We hope this encourages you to start your own memories this year at the Newfoundland Gaming Expo.

Clint Gould – Committee Member

It would have to be the first NGX in 2014. I remember seeing all the wonderful faces, both young and old, having the time of their lives. It was also during that event where I made many friendships, and slowly developed my reputation as a skilled gamer. Winning four tournaments, my toughest victory was the Mario Tennis tournament, making it to a tiebreak on the final game of the final set. NGX holds a special place in my heart, and I know that in 2016, it’s going to be bigger and better than ever

2. John Michael Bennett – President

My favourite NGX moment was during the very first one in 2014. It was an experiment to see if we could pull off a full weekend event like that. Over the course of the weekend, I had expo goers come up to me saying this had to be more than a one-time thing and some parents of kids come up to me saying, “my kid is having the time of their life. Even I wish something like this was around when I was younger.” Knowing that we are building such an open community was so rewarding.

3. Nathaniel Leon – Committee Member

At NGX2015 I really tried to keep myself busy—being the new kid on the block trying to prove his salt. When I did have a bit of free time, I liked to check in on the kids’ corner, because my young cousins weren’t able to make it to the con, and I wanted to show them cool video game stuff. I settled for other tiny people, because kids playing video games are never not fun. I ended up playing Little Big Planet with a boy and a girl. We tried our hand at a couple levels, but ended up in creative mode, because the best way to keep a kid entertained is to give them a rocket ship. The other two didn’t quite understand how to browse the menus, so they had me conjure up all sorts of toys for them, and everybody needed their own car, or motorcycle; and any time we shot across the screen we would all scream as if we were actually being hurtled around by a haywire air balloon, but all the same it was fun to be able to share the magic of video games with people who’s only concern was having fun. It reminds you of why you started to play.

4. Dylan Hardy – Committee Member

My favorite NGX memory had to come from last year’s expo. Here I was, an external volunteer at the time, trying to make sure everything was going right and that I was fulfilling my duties for Sandbox Gaming. I put myself under a ton of pressure that weekend but I think it was then that I realized I wanted to be more involved with SBG—which is why NGX 2015 holds such a dear place in my heart.

5. Melanie Collins – Board Member

My favourite moment happened at the first NGX, and it’s still one of my happiest memories. I ran a short, one-off adventure for people to join in the newest Star Wars tabletop RPG, and at that point it was my second time ever being a Game Master. I was as nervous as anything, playing a tutorial game almost entirely with strangers, but it went amazingly well. The two young kids who had played were so happy they demanded I do it again so they could play more sometime, and one of the players is actually now one of my best friends. Gaming really does bring people together!

6. Kyle Heath – Volunteer

My favourite memory from a past NGX would have to be the Three Amiibros live podcast from NGX 2015. We opened up with some silliness but we actually talked about some serious things around gaming and I even got to take home a pair of moustache glasses (which I still have)! I’m looking forward to NGX 2016 and making many more great memories!

7. Craig Ryan – Committee Member

In a world of competitive gaming, players can be ruthless in their training for that top spot, learning new techniques and tricks to improve their play and get an advantage over the competition. At the 2015 Newfoundland Gaming Expo, I had the opportunity to help coordinate several tournaments, but my favourite was our special rules for Super Smash Bros. Wii U: casual rules, items on, ball-related items only. Players threw rounded projectiles and homerun bats at their opponents for some casual play fun. The finals were won with a bat—sadly the one that Lucas keeps in his pocket and not the homerun variety—hitting a soccer ball into the opponent. To this day I still remember that wonderful finish to our casual smash tourney.

8. Ashley Quirke – Committee Member

My favorite part of last year’s NGX was the costume contest! I loved seeing everyone dress up as their favorite characters. I remember standing “backstage” with all the other contestants waiting for it to start. Everyone was really happy and excited! I loved hearing the cheers of the audience as we all showed off our costumes! It made all the long nights of hard work that I had put in to my costume totally worth it.